Tag Archives: turf

Sailing directions: Shannon Estuary and Loughs Derg (1838-9), Ree (1837) and Erne (1835-6)

Posted on Thursday 22 October 2009 | 3 comments

Here are the Sailing Directions for the Shannon Estuary (completed before 1848) and for Lough Erne (1835-6), Lough Ree (1837) and Lough Derg (1838-9). They were compiled by Commander James Wolfe RN, who was one of those who drew up the relevant Admiralty Charts. Like the Charts, these Directions have not been updated, so boaters should not rely on them for navigation.

The Google Books Team have kindly permitted me to extract these from a larger document, which was one of those they had scanned and placed online, and to make them available (free, of course) to visitors to this site. Note that I have omitted part of the description of the smaller Lough Derg, which is not part of the connected waterways system.

Shannon & Erne sailing directions

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Posted in Extant waterways, Industrial heritage, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations, Sources, Steamers, The turf trade

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The West Clare Railway and the Slieve Callan

Posted on Wednesday 26 August 2009 | Leave a comment

Because L T C Rolt took a trip on the West Clare Railway at the end of his Irish waterways trip, I felt justified in putting up a page about the project. I have now been back to Moyasta Junction, where the restored 117-year-old Slieve Callan steam locomotive is now running on a small length of track. I took many, many photos of the loco (inside the cab and outside, moving and at rest), the carriages and other items of interest; you can see them here.

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Posted in Non-waterway

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The Shannonbridge chimneys

Posted on Saturday 25 July 2009 | Leave a comment

The chimneys of the power station at Shannonbridge, on the river Shannon between Lough Ree to the north and Lough Derg to the south, have for many years been a landmark: visible from a long way away in both directions on the Shannon and on its tributary the Suck as well. They were demolished last week. I have put up a page of photographs as a reminder of what they looked like and to mark their passing.

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Posted in Extant waterways, Irish waterways general, Scenery, The turf trade

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The sector lock at Kilrush

Posted on Friday 19 June 2009 | Leave a comment

I’ve already written about a Shannon lock at Athlone and a Grand Canal lock at Belmont. Now here’s a page about the sector lock leading into Kilrush marina on the Shannon estuary. Sector locks are relatively rare, but sector gates are being installed as flood defences at Spencer Dock, where the Royal Canal meets the River Liffey in Dublin, and are used at Limehouse lock on the Thames in London.

Interestingly, the Kilrush lock and the associated embankment solved problems that were identified by Commander William Mudge RN, Admiralty surveyor, in 1831: he was one of the three members of the Commission for the Improvement of the Navigation of the Shannon, and at that time the Shannon estuary steamers had to use Cappagh pier, outside Kilrush, because at low tide Kilrush had only a small creek running through it.

Nowadays, inland waterways boats going to sea often head for Kilrush, which is also one of the bases from which dolphin-watching trips are provided. There is a resident school of bottlenose dolphins in the estuary.

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Posted in Extant waterways, Irish waterways general, Operations, Steamers

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John’s Canal in Macnab’s Bog, Castleconnell, Montpelier and O’Briensbridge

Posted on Friday 22 May 2009 | Leave a comment

Here is a page about John’s Canal, which was used to extract turf from Macnab’s Bog at Mona Lodge, Portcrusha, between Castleconnell and Montpelier in Limerick (Montpelier is at the other end of the bridge at O’Briensbridge).

The bog seems to have been opened by John Brown (or Browne) of the Stein Brown(e) Distillery at Thomondgate in Limerick. Turf was carried by water from the bog to the distillery, where it was used to fuel the first steam engine in Limerick. The bog was managed by James Macnab, who took over the lease in 1841; after his death his son Alexander Allen Macnab took over. The bog was an early operation of a managed industrial extraction and production enterprise, operating throughout most of the year and drying the material to produce “stone turf”. About 5000 tons were produced each year.

The canal system had a wooden bridge (now vanished), several branches (some still visible), a lock gate (gone) and a stone pier/quay (still visible).

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Posted in Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Irish inland waterways vessels, Irish waterways general, Operations, The turf trade

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The Lough Boora feeder

Posted on Wednesday 13 May 2009 | Leave a comment

This page is about an unsuccessful search for the Lough Boora feeder, which joined the Grand Canal west of Pollagh and, befoer 1936, was used by boats serving the peat works at Turraun. There is a vaguely canal-like object and there are several photos of bogs, including the Lough Boora parklands.

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Posted in Forgotten navigations, Irish waterways general, Operations

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The abandoned line of the Grand Canal to James’s St Harbour

Posted on Tuesday 5 May 2009 | Leave a comment

I have put up four pages covering the Main Line of the Irish Grand Canal from Suir Road to the original terminus at Grand Canal Harbour, James’s Street. This account covers Guinness and Dublin’s water supply as well as the line of the canal. There are some photos of trams and of the 1′ 10″ gauge Guinness locomotives for Steam Men. Page 1 of 4 is here.

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Posted in Forgotten navigations, Irish waterways general, Operations

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Roscrea

Posted on Tuesday 28 April 2009 | Leave a comment

I’ve updated my page on the Roscrea canals with some photos of Birchgrove, where the Birch family distillery was; this distillery was supplied with turf by canal. I’ve also added a small amount of extra information, some links and a photo of the remarkable Monaincha Abbey, which should be far better known than it is.

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Posted in Forgotten navigations, Irish waterways general

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The Broadstone Line of the Royal Canal

Posted on Wednesday 22 April 2009 | Leave a comment

A new page about a waterway that lost its terminus in 1877, was mostly infilled in 1927 and lost its last section in 1956. But you can still follow the Broadstone Line of the Royal Canal in Dublin. There’s lots of interesting stuff to see, it’s quite scenic — and there are pubs serving good beer nearby.

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Posted in Forgotten navigations

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The Maigue

Posted on Monday 20 April 2009 | Leave a comment

I’ve put up some photos of this short river navigation, one of the earliest to be tackled in Ireland. It may still be navigable, certainly by small boats and perhaps by something larger. I understand however that the entrance from the Shannon Estuary is tricky and requires local knowledge.

There is a bit of a mystery about the quay in Adare. A stretch of canal has disappeared and the bridge at Ferrybridge has lost its opening arch. But there are still things to see ….

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Posted in Extant waterways, Forgotten navigations, Irish waterways general

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